Monday, August 22, 2011

a tacit acknowledgment of their own party's problem

i wonder how late it will be until the last late-comer decides to come into the race. the 2007-08 primary season is famous for getting started way-early. this time it just keeps getting later and later before all the candidates are in and the real primary can start.

this is both a symptom of the republican perception that president obama is vulnerable and also their tacit acknowledgment that all of the currently declared candidates probably can't win. the president's poll numbers show that he faces a real danger of losing his reelection bid next year, provided he faces the right opponent. and yet the GOP keeps coming up with potential challengers who are likely not up to the task of both surviving the primary and beating this wounded president. so their solution is to repeatedly drum up more challengers, challengers who also probably aren't up to the task of surviving the primary and beating the president. lather, rinse, repeat.

the real problem isn't the challengers per se, it's the party. the party faithful demand that candidates be so wacky and far to far right, it ruins their electability in ultimate race. getting over the first hurdle probably assures that they won't be able to clear the second. the candidates inevitably try to make their pitch to one or the other (i.e. the GOP primary-goers or the general electorate) because they can't do both. this makes the reasonable talk of huntsman toxic in the primary, just as bachmann or perry will have a horrible time winning much of the country (or even their home states) in the general. mittens tries to address the problem by being everything to everyone, but he has simply pulled that shit too often for anyone to believe him. also he wears funny underwear but no will say that stuff out loud.

they just need a non-mormon chameleon who hasn't yet pulled that shit too often. then they'd be gold!